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My Brother Needs a Boa
Benito has a problem: he owns the only store in his remote rainforest village, and a pesky rat is driving away all his customers. The solution? A boa constrictor, of course. But none of the snakes his neighbors find are right for chasing away the rat. Benito rejects one after another until, finally, the perfect boa chooses Benito. The vivid and richly textured illustrations are full of charming details, and children will enjoy identifying all the animals that complete this picture of life in a rainforest community.
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2005
9 people want to read
About the author
Anne Weston
2 books5 followersAnne Weston has written a number of mystery stories which have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. She has also written an award-winning picture book for children, My Brother Needs a Boa. Anne lived for many years in a remote corner of Costa Rica where she and her husband Patrick established a rainforest preserve.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 18, 2018
It is easy to see why 'My Brother Needs a Boa' is a San Diego Book Awards Association winner. Written for children, probably in the age range of 5 to 9, this delightful story/picture book invites its readers to experience life in a Costa Rican village, where a young boy is experiencing problems in his small store due to the presence of a rat. Author Anne Weston, who lived for many years in Costa Rica, reports the story was inspired by a real-life incident in her village. What makes this book excellent is the author's ability to so smoothly describe ways of life in this village, introducing the reader to myriad facts without sounding 'teachy' or 'preachy.' The illustrations, by Cheryl Nathan, are stellar. A good book for those wanting to expose the children in their lives to other cultures and ways of life.
February 18, 2015
Personal reaction:
I really loved this book. The story was engaging and kids would love it. The book has some quality figurative language and the pictures are absolutely beautiful.
Purposes:
I would absolutely read this book aloud in the classroom when I am teaching cause and effect and problem solution in the. Benito has a store and someone sees a rat inside, so people stop coming to this store. Benito comes up with a solution to get a boa to chase the rat out so people will return to his store. This is a good book for children in kindergarten to second grade. The book has some strong language, the book uses simple adjectives and has a couple of really good similes as well! The sentence structure varies throughout. Some sentences are simple while others are much more complex The book is good for language development.
I really loved this book. The story was engaging and kids would love it. The book has some quality figurative language and the pictures are absolutely beautiful.
Purposes:
I would absolutely read this book aloud in the classroom when I am teaching cause and effect and problem solution in the. Benito has a store and someone sees a rat inside, so people stop coming to this store. Benito comes up with a solution to get a boa to chase the rat out so people will return to his store. This is a good book for children in kindergarten to second grade. The book has some strong language, the book uses simple adjectives and has a couple of really good similes as well! The sentence structure varies throughout. Some sentences are simple while others are much more complex The book is good for language development.
July 18, 2018
This a marvelous children's book. It has a great plot that offers children several lessons in an entertaining manner. The collage technique used by the illustrator creates very colorful and expressive images. I highly recommend it!
January 10, 2026
A gorgeous picture book brimming with not just loads of information, but wonderful characters!
If I had grandchildren, this would be a perfect book to share with them.
If I had grandchildren, this would be a perfect book to share with them.
February 27, 2015
My Brother Needs a Boa by Anne Weston and illustrations by Cheryl Nathan is about a little boy named Benito that problem solves to save his store. Benito lives in a rainforest village where he owns and operates a store. A strong storm comes through the village and knocks down four coconuts into Mrs. Murillo's yard. She comes to Benito's shop in need of sugar to make coconut candy. She picks up a chunk of sugar in a corn husk and shrieks about a rat being in the sugar. She runs out of the store and informs everyone in the village not to go to Benito's shop because he has a rat problem. Benito searches for the rat but isn't quick enough to catch him. His sister Vilma comes to visit and informs Benito that he needs a Boa to get rid of the rat. Multiple people throughout the village come to see Benito with Boa's, but the Boa's are too big, too small and too fat. Finally, Benito begins to give up and lies down to think. While lying in a hammock he feels the hammock begin to move. He bends over and finds the perfect Boa. The next morning, as Benito is cleaning his shop he notices a small furry object scatter across the floor and immediately after follows the Boa. The rat has left Benito's shop! Benito tells Velma, and soon the store is filled with happy customers all because a boa chooses Benito.
I think this would be an excellent story for children in grades 2nd through 3rd as a read aloud or individual read. My Brother Needs A Boa would be a great story to incorporate into a lesson plan about Spanish or different cultures. Also, if you were teaching young children Spanish, you could incorporate this book, or if you had a primary Spanish speaking student they would greatly enjoy this book. The story is culturally diverse and encompasses Spanish words such as Gracias. The story encompasses a lot of figurative languages, similes, such as, "It is as small as a pumpkin seed" and "It is as long as a licorice whip". Another aspect the story offers is problem- solving thinking. Demonstrating a situation like this will help the children with cognitive development. Finally, the illustrations throughout the book are culturally relevant and accurate to the culture. The rainforest in bright and dense, the store and homes are portrayed accurately, and the people represent the cultures ethnicity. The illustration has a bright color, value, and the line lead the reader's eye to the important theme on the page. On the page, when Benito is looking for the rat in his store, the umbrellas lead the reader to see the rat hiding. All these aspects would interest the children in a different culture and engage them in the story.
I think this would be an excellent story for children in grades 2nd through 3rd as a read aloud or individual read. My Brother Needs A Boa would be a great story to incorporate into a lesson plan about Spanish or different cultures. Also, if you were teaching young children Spanish, you could incorporate this book, or if you had a primary Spanish speaking student they would greatly enjoy this book. The story is culturally diverse and encompasses Spanish words such as Gracias. The story encompasses a lot of figurative languages, similes, such as, "It is as small as a pumpkin seed" and "It is as long as a licorice whip". Another aspect the story offers is problem- solving thinking. Demonstrating a situation like this will help the children with cognitive development. Finally, the illustrations throughout the book are culturally relevant and accurate to the culture. The rainforest in bright and dense, the store and homes are portrayed accurately, and the people represent the cultures ethnicity. The illustration has a bright color, value, and the line lead the reader's eye to the important theme on the page. On the page, when Benito is looking for the rat in his store, the umbrellas lead the reader to see the rat hiding. All these aspects would interest the children in a different culture and engage them in the story.
February 23, 2015
This book was great. It has an interesting story line and the illustrations are wonderful. The book has many challenging words and complex sentence structure. I believe this book would work best in a 1st or 2nd grade classroom and for a read aloud. The book is quite diverse with the use of spanish words and foods. The book would correlate well in a lesson over problem solving or cause and effect.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews